Nicolas Bachelier

Nicolas Bachelier
Born	1485
Died	1557 Toulouse, France
Nationality	French
Occupation	French surveyor, architect, and mason.

Nicolas Bachelier (1485–1557) was a French surveyor, architect, and mason.^[1]

In 1539, Bachelier and his colleague Arnaud Casanove, who described themselves as expert levelers, proposed a survey for a canal from Toulouse to Carcassonne to Francis I. Francis I had previously discussed the possibility of such a canal with Leonardo da Vinci. They also proposed that barges could either float down the Garonne River to Bordeaux or could traverse a canal parallel to the river. Francis I approved their plans ^[2] which included a lock-free canal of variable depth. These plans proved to be inaccurate and could not be executed. In 1598, Henri IV re-examined the plans, but nothing was done until Pierre Paul Riquet began the successful endeavor of the Canal du Midi in 1662.^[1]

References

1. Lance Day, Ian McNeil, ed. (1996). Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-19399-0.
2. Rolt, L. T. C. (1973). From Sea to Sea. Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780713904710.